Col. Tavington's POV

I left Cornwallis and headed down the hall at breakneck speed, my anger beginning to get the best of me, but by this time, I didn't give a damn about how explosive it could be.

At least we have raids tonight...

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Hours later, after returning back to the estate early after unsuccessful raiding, I was called back into Cornwallis' office where I gave him a rather disappointing report of the night's events to which he managed to complain himself blue in the face before dismissing me from the room as my temper began to boil once more.

Why does that blundering fool of a lord general insist on irritating me at every open opportunity? Is it my subordinate rank? Or perhaps, my tarnished family name... And I have had enough of those children taking advantage of my patience! I will take no more of this humiliation!

My thoughts were interrupted by the impact of another body on my side.

"My apologies, sir!" a boy's voice squeaked from somewhere under a quivering silver tea tray.

Scowling in response, I gave him a murderous glare. Then, without a word, I shoved the boy hard across the hall where he hit the wall and the tea he had been carrying splattered all over his face, badly scalding it along with his arms; I left him to holler and scream as I continued on to my quarters and slammed the door shut. The room was pitch black save for a single ray of moonlight shining over my desk. But even with no light, I could tell that something was out of place. I made my way over to my bookshelf, snatched one of my heaviest bookends and hurled it across the room. There was a thunk at the foot of my bed and a cry of pain and surprise... my favorite sound. Joseph had gotten out of his room.

With a smirk, I locked my hands behind my back and approached my gasping victim.

"Good evening, Joseph." I said in a sly voice dripping with malice.

Before he could get up, I kicked him in the stomach; he gasped and fell on his side. I reached down and wrenched him to his feet by his hair.

"Were you leaving so soon?" I asked in a tone of mock hurt. "And we were just getting to know one another so well.."

With that, I hurled Joseph from me. He toppled over my desk and hit the floor with a thud.

"Fuck!" I heard him murmur.

"Did you not tell me that Haley was with the Ghost?" I asked Joseph as I advanced on him; he half slid, half crawled away from me. "I followed your 'accurate' directions down to the last little point and there was no Haley to be found."

"I didn't say he had her." Joseph replied through clenched teeth. "I said that if you're lucky, he'll know where she is."

I picked up a riding crop that had dropped on the floor and whipped him across the face.

"Don't-lie-to-me!" I hissed angrily between lashes. "I have had enough of you three and your little games. If-you're-going-to-act-like-rebels, I'll-treat-you-like-rebels!"

I continued to beat joseph with the crop for a while longer but then became bored so I moved to the use of my fists. I missed on the first swing because Joseph moved out of the way but in my fury, that only made me swing harder and with more accuracy. The next blow caught him right in the ribs and based on the gasp and cry of pain he emitted, I had broken at least one of them. I readied myself to give another bone-crushing impact but at that moment, Joseph rolled on his back and swung his leg between mine, kicking me in the groin.

"Bastard!"

I fell to my knees, grasping the area between my legs. Joseph struggled to his feet and made his way quickly toward the door but I wasn't about to let him get out. Jumping up, I threw myself in front of him, drawing my pistol and striking him across the face with the butt of it. Joseph collapsed on the floor in what was quickly becoming a pool of his own blood.

"After tonight, there will be respect," I growled as I caught his side with the spur of my boot, "and silence as well!"

Kicking Joseph in the head, I jerked around as my door suddenly flew open and instinctively fired my pistol. Julianna screamed and fell to the floor where she lay motionless. I stared at her in slight shock but quickly recovered, my emotionless expression firmly back in place.

"Did no one ever tell you to knock first?" I asked mockingly to her unconscious form.

"Col. Tavington, what on earth have you done?"

Lord Gen. Cornwallis stepped into my quarters and looked down at Joseph, who was bleeding from almost every orifice in his face, though unfortunately, I didn't have time to go for his eyes; but I did make up for it as it seems sometime during the scuffle, his nose apparently got broken.

Cornwallis bent over Joseph and took a closer look at his beaten torso. Obviously, I didn't care how damaged the little scumbag was and personally, I thought that I had done quite a thorough job with him.

"What did he do to deserve this?" Cornwallis demanded suddenly. "Colonel, he's just a boy!"

"That boy tried to escape again." I replied. "And not to mention, he gave me false information on the whereabouts of one of his little friends. He was warned of the penalties rewarded to those who lied to me. And as I said to him, if he wants to act like one of the rebel scum, he'll be treated like one of them as well."

Cornwallis nodded in response but a stern look remained in his eyes.

"Well, he is in your charge. But know this, Colonel, it is only the fact that he gave you false information after he was warned that saves you from punishment. And I suppose... Good god!"

Just then, the lord general noticed Julianna for the first time, lying at my feet.

"Colonel, did you shoot her?"

No, the town whore did.. I thought caustically to myself but responded, "By accident, milord." Then more carelessly, I added, "Some people should learn to knock."

Cornwallis bent over Julianna, pulled a cloth out of his jacket and pressed it to the wound in her side.

"I can't do anything about Joseph as he is in your charge but I have to intervene on this, Colonel. She was not in your charge. You had no right to shoot her."

He continued to examine around the wound and then picked her up and went to the door.

"This wound needs medical attention immediately." he said. "And I suggest you get Joseph cleaned up and bandaged. I do believe he has 'acquired' some broken limbs."

"Yes, milord."

"And Colonel, the next time you become angry, for whatever reason it may be, do use something else to exercise your anger upon. Perhaps one of those straw 'soldiers' I traded an entire group of Martin's men for." Cornwallis suggested with a slight edge. "I don't ever want to walk into a scene like this from your doing again!"

"Yes, milord."

With that, Cornwallis left with Julianna just as Joseph began to come to, moaning softly and squinting with cloudy eyes as I bent low over him, glaring daggers.

"Let that be a warning, you bastard urchin.."

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